Exploring German unification, and pondering Korean

A man walks by a piece of the Berlin Wall outside the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in Jongno District, central Seoul. [NEWSIS]
But arguments on both sides often look to Germany.
A new exhibition at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History attempts to show just how West Germany (the Federal Republic of Germany) and East Germany (the German Democratic Republic) became one again.

A West German propaganda poster that denounces communism. [National Museum of Korean Contemporary History]
But the highlight of the show is a piece of the Berlin Wall on display outside the museum. Berlin donated the 3.6-meter-tall (11.8-foot) chunk of the wall, which was dismantled in 1989, to Seoul's Jung District Office in 2005. The wall bears writings on the western side by people there who yearned to see their families on the other side.

An East German poster that describes the USSR, Poland, East Germany and Czechoslovakia as brother countries. [National Museum of Korean Contemporary History]
BY KIM HYUNG-EUN
[hkim@joongang.co.kr]
“Implications of German Reunification for Korean Unification” runs until Dec. 13 at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History. Admission is free. Hours are between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., but extended on Wednesdays and Saturdays to 9 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays. The museum is near exit 2 of Gwanghwamun Station on line No. 5. Call 02-3703-9200, or visit www.much.go.kr.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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